What is the Truth?
by NikkitaIronBlade.94
Summary: Arthur kills the team?
1. Chapter 1

**I just found out that I do not own anything to do with Inception... darn!**

**What is the Truth?**

"_Watch him. Watch every detail. They have known him for many years and suspicion before it is time will not only result in failure of my plan but also repercussion… Do you understand?"_

"Yes. I understand, but do not worry I can handle this young…"

"_Do not be so quick to judge you fool. For his age and appearance lead false assumptions to his knowledge and skill. He has been at this game a long time; longer than you. I would also guarantee that his wisdom and knowledge far surpasses yours, he will fall for no cheap tricks." _

"Do not treat me as your other followers that are no more than mindless robots obeying your every request. You speak to me like that again and you will regret it. Do youunderstand?"

"_Let us call a truce before this is taken too far…"_

"Fine."

"_Just remember young forger, '[He] who trusts too much in his own intelligence will underestimate the power of his opponent'"._

...5 months later…

The rain was beating relentlessly against the glass front of the coffee shop, making the warm interior saturated with the aroma of fresh coffee all that more welcoming. The couches were lined with young college students pouring over their notes preparing for their next exam. Littered among them were the common coffee shop regulars with their glasses, books, and scarves. Arthur was never one for coffee and hardly ever found himself in a coffee shop such as this. It seemed more like a large dining room from an ancient castle with the dim lights, velvet floor length curtains, and crackling fire place. But even with the feeling of security in this place, Arthur was on edge; he had been for a couple months now. It always felt as if someone was trying to burn a hole through his back with their soul consuming stare, but whenever he turned around there was no one to be found. So for the last couple months Arthur had been altering his normal routine, he had dealt with 'followers' before. They were usually easy to shake within the first couple weeks. But this time was different.

Arthur, Eames, Cobb, and Ariadne had just finished a large job with no flaws. Even though everything went smoothly, they all split apart to go under cover blending back into the normal world for a while; falling off radar. Ariadne had chosen to the use the time as a vacation to Australia. Eames went back to Mombasa; it seemed nothing could keep him from those smoke filled bars and poker tables. Cobb went home, taking Miles and his children on a road trip to Yellowstone National Park. Arthur on the other hand, did not choose a single place. He moved from here to there as he wished, not being tied down to any particular area for an extended period of time.

Sitting in the far back corner of the coffee house with an open laptop on the table in front of him, Arthur scanned the area. There did not seem to be any individual out place, but the feeling was still there. Something was not right no matter how hard his eyes tried to convince him otherwise. A week prior Arthur had sent word to Cobb, Eames, and Ariadne, warning them of his suspicions. They all replied as discretely as his warning had been sent, assuring that they were all fine and did not suspect any foul play.

Closing his laptop, which he hadn't even looked at anyway, Arthur made his way for the front door. Carefully watching to see whose eyes followed his departure, with only one taking the baited hook.

'Gotcha…' Arthur thought pushing against the door out into the still pouring rain. Slipping around the corner, Arthur broke into a slow awkward jog while trying to remove the plastic plate from the bottom of the laptop

'Hopefully this slows them down...' he thought with little confidence. This 'follower' was unlike he had ever dealt with before. 'He', which Arthur has gathered from his glimpse of the on looker, more than wanted to take him hostage and enjoy a game of torture with little purpose other than fulfilling some old need for revenge.

With his hard drive now removed and laptop discarded, Arthur broke into a full run; the 'follower' close behind. Because of the rain most people had abandoned the streets and moved indoors, leaving Arthur relatively no cover from the view of his 'follower'. Arthurs mind raced as he pounded down the street weaving in and out of parked cars and deserted street booths. Taking a quick right he ran down a junk filled alley emerging into the middle of the neighboring street almost being flattened by oncoming traffic. Horns blared, giving away his position if the 'follower' had not already known it.

Arthur's heart was racing, his suit jacket heavy from the rain. His previously perfect jelled back hair was now clinging to his face, making it difficult to see. After running a few more blocks and barely avoiding another vehicle death encounter, Arthur pulled to a stop. Quickly scanning his surroundings, a quick glance back revealed no 'follower' he started calculating his next plan of action. But just as he was about to enter a small book store a peddler came out of nowhere, crashing into him then flying over his handle bars to land with a loud thud flat on the pavement; leaving Arthur panting for his lost breath and clutching his side.

'That was no accident,' was the first thought that jumped into his adrenaline rushed mind. No more than a second later, the follower once again emerged but this time wielded a large wooden bat.

"What?..." Arthur breathed.

"A bat? Not even a gun?"

His burning side forgotten and the unconscious man left to lie in the rain, Arthur ripped off in the opposite direction of his attacker and the chase continued. But the concrete was slippery from the rain making stopping an impossible challenge when an old woman pushing a shopping cart stepped out of an alley. Slamming into it, Arthur ended up in a pile of junk with the 'bat swinging follower' now that much closer to his target.

"Crap…" the word echoed on the wind as the chase rolled on, leaving the woman alone in the rain to gather the collection of odds and ends which represented her entire life's savings. A large headache now blossoming from the meeting of his head and the concrete, Arthur repeatedly dodged the swinging bat that came entirely too close.

The rain still poured down, the clouds now a dark blue and grey casting a huge shadow over the world. The only light was the small circles of illumination emanating from the top of the street lamps. A bell tower somewhere in the distance sounded the change of the hour, the sound of each bell vibration rolling across the cloud ceiling.

"Smash…" came the sound of the car's windshield in front of Arthur, shattering under protest of the brick's force which flew by only inches from his head. Not even caring where the follower had retrieved a brick, Arthur was about to dive into the next alley but…

"AHHH…" the quick cry came from behind. A glance revealed a new scenario; instead of an angry drenched man with a bat there stood an elderly drenched woman with a purse.

"Uhhh," was the only reply Arthur could muster.

"Young man, could you please come help me?" the woman asked in an aged but gentle voice.

"A man tried to grab my purse? But I kicked him in the shin, he ran off. Really quite strange, I am worried he will return for there is no way I could have scared him off. Will you please help me to the bus stop?"

"Where?..." Arthur panted.

"I am sorry dear, my hearing has faded with the youth of my body. What did you say?"

"Where did the man go?" he questioned again, holding his ground while eyeing the woman carefully.

"Why, he went down this alley right here," she responded pointing in that direction.

"What are you doing out here mam? It is cold and raining?" something was wrong.

"Oh, well I… I have to go and meet my daughter but I must get to the bus stop…"

"The bus stop is on the other side of town mam. Only the subway is ahead…" Arthur responded, carefully taking a few steps back to grab a rusted pipe out of the back of a parked pickup truck.

"Sorry, subway is what I meant… OHH," she squeaked. "I hear something from the alley. He is coming back, young man please come and help me?" She pleaded though staying rooted to the same spot.

"What did you say your name was?" Arthur asked quickly scanning the street then letting his eyes drift right towards the wall of dark store fronts broken only by garbage filled allies.

"Ummm, what does it matter. Ummm, Ummm… COME HERE!" she screamed, her gentle old voice now replaced with a deep anger, her eyes flicking towards Arthurs right. Peripheral vision showed everything needed for his body to tense swinging the previously gathered pipe up as a guard against the bat determined to bash in his skull. The force behind the blow caused Arthur's arm to vibrate, almost causing him to lose his grip. The man Arthur saw earlier in the coffee shop now had his face twisted into a deep scowl as Arthur efficiently blocked every blow. But each blow came harder than the last and soon both men were panting with bruises littering their arms.

While evading a swing at aimed at his knees, Arthur tripped on the sidewalk curb falling onto his back; his opponent taking the advantage to swing full force at Arthur's midsection. Swinging the dropped pipe up Arthur managed to block the strike but the bat caught two of his fingers as it split in half upon impact. Arthur could not hold back a sharp cry of pain as his figures exploded into a bloody mess. His weapon now useless, the' follower' was on Arthur in a matter of moments. Rolling on the concrete, in and out of puddles, Arthur fought fiercely to regain his footing. But when Arthur got the man in a neck hold, the 'follower' reached into his pocket removing a taser which he promptly pressed against Arthur's neck sending waves of electricity coursing through Arthur's already battered body. Arthur's grip slacked immediately. Untangling himself from Arthur's previous hold, the 'follower' pushed himself to his feet.

"A few more seconds and I would have been the one unconscious one on the concrete…" he chuckled down to Arthur's unconscious form.

"My payment now Sir!" The lady with purse demanded who had stood by and watched the entire scene.

"Oh, yes. Sorry about that," the 'follower' replied reaching into his pocket and pulling out two hundred dollar bills as if he were simply making a friendly transaction with a lifelong friend.

"Thank you for your services," he smiled sincerely.

"You are _welcome_ and _thank you_," snatching the money, the woman turned and ran off not caring in the least about the young bloody man lying with no defense under the still raining sky.

… One month later…

"So, I have many new designs for this new job; I tried to make them more complex then the last. Building many more escapes routes into the structures that I hope to come in handy when we are being chased by blood thirsty projections…" Ariadne continued to ramble though no one paid much attention. Cobb was caught up in preparing all of the final details, Yusuf was trying to finalize a new drug, and Saito had been on the phone all evening. Eames on the other hand was doing nothing to help ensure the jobs success, in fact he was thinking of Arthur. Arthur had been acting very strange the last month and no one had seemed to notice due to their devotion towards the job.

Eames was on one of the empty lawn chairs observing the commotion in front of him; everyone operating normally, except Arthur who was no were to be seen.

'Something is not right…' Eames kept telling himself. Every time they got a new 'subject', the dreamer who would be undergoing inception or extraction, Arthur never looked away from his computer or stacks of files. Before the job he knew every detail learned over days of sleepless nights, but this time he kept disappearing for many hours and when he returned he was not devoted to his work. Eames voiced his concerns to Cobb who merely blamed it on the stress Arthur had been under since the occurrence a month ago. But Eames didn't buy it; Arthur was always under stress yet he still managed to operate at hundred percent every hour of the day.

"I think I have it!" Yusuf announced excitedly holding up a vile of liquid as proof to his joy.

"We should try it as soon as possible incase adjustments need to be made; time is running out fast," Cobb said abandoning his previous interest. "When will the drug be ready to test?"

"Ummm… Now," Yusuf answered.

"Good. I shall experience the drug's effects though I would like one of you to accompany me," explained Cobb.

"I can. It will give me an opportunity to check my architectural designs, ensuring their layouts are as I planned," Ariadne offered.

"Fine…" Cobb said while moving the PSIV device towards the lawn chairs. Once it was set and ready for use, by habit Cobb reached into his pocket searching for the little metal top. An initial panic surged through him when his hand found nothing. Quickly checking the rest of his pockets, his level of distress was heightened when the small metal object was not to be found.

"What is wrong?" Ariadne asked seeing Cobb's display of distress. But Cobb didn't answer. He just turned and headed for the table he had spent the entire day at. Papers flew, glasses were knocked together, pencils rolled to the floor, a half filled pizza box was tossed aside, but no totem was found.

Eames stood up and made his way over to where Cobb was now on his hands and knees.

"What is up my love?" he asked.

"I can't find my totem…" Cobb answered in a harsh whisper.

"What?" was Eames only reply as instinct led his hand into his left pant pocket; alarm overtook him for a moment when his hand did not come to rest on his ever familiar poker chip.

"Ariadne, do you have your totem?" Eames asked as he headed towards the lawn chair he had previously occupied.

"Of course!" she replied as if it was a ridiculous question, but her search held the same result as her comrades.

"What?" she said in a panicked voice, not taking the subtle route that Cobb and Eames has. Just then Arthur came in the door with a wicked smile on his face.

"Arthur…" Cobb started but one look at him caused Cobb to lose his entire line of thought.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" Eames went off; he had had enough.

"Oh dear, that does not sound very friendly of you Eames," Arthur said making everyone do a double take to ensure that it was actually Arthur standing before them. The perfectly jelled hair and carefully pressed suit were the same but it was if Arthur's entire air was different.

"If you are not going to be friendly then I will not share my secrets with you," sounding even less like his normal self than before.

"What secrets? Arthur what is wrong?" Cobb asked, his worry slipping from his lost totem to the young point man.

"_These_," he said almost mystically, tossing all of their totems onto the table.

"You have three bloody seconds to explain why you have those," Eames warned.

"Really? I will count down for you. Ready?... **Go**," as the words finished rolling off his tongue he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out gun. No more than a second later he shot Ariadne in head while counting one, followed closely by two which had Cobb being shot twice in the chest, three saw the end of Yusuf as a carefully aimed bullet struck him in the heart.

"Awh, what a pity. You and Saito are left," Arthur replied. "Why couldn't you have given me just a little more time?" he asked Eames almost playfully who stood bone still in shock at what had just occurred before him. It was the first time in his life when he experienced something he refused to be reality. Without even mumbling a word Saito dove at Arthur but did not live long enough to inflict any damage on the man he now considered a devilish trader.

"You are the last Eames; you and me."

But Eames could not come up with any of slick line or deadly threat. In fact he didn't think speaking was an option at all until a deep anger over took him at Arthur's next remark:

"Your turn to die, just as easily as the rest did. Ha Ha Ha Ha."

"I…" but Eames was cut off by both the bullet that hit him in the forehead sending the world into darkness and the sight he saw milliseconds before.

**Hey everyone, I hope you liked this. I am going to make it a two-part oneshot. I was going to write the whole thing and then upload it but I just couldn't wait so here it is. There will only be one more chapter. Oh, and I uploaded chapter 4 of Left Behind just to let everyone know. Reviews are welcomed for both stories. Talk to you all later.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Hey everyone. Here is chapter 2 and without further ado, I leave you to read it! **

Waking up on a cold hard concrete floor, Eames was in a panic; his last predicament still at the fore front of his mind. But a quick glance around showed Ariadne, Yusuf, Saito, and Cobb tied in a fashion similar to the way he found himself; their feet tied along with their hands, a short piece of rope connecting the two bindings together. Movement was near impossible. Confusion coursed through his blood.

_They were all alive…_

Ariadne no longer had a bullet lodged somewhere deep within her cranial cavity, same with Saito, Cobb was not pouring blood from the large holes blasted in his chest, and Yusuf's heart was functioning fine without the presence of a led slug.

Eames eyes – as if by their own will – then had him quickly glancing at the room they were all held in. The four walled prison had no windows casting light into the heavy darkness. The only light was that that entered from under the single door on the far wall. The walls and floor were crafted of large concrete bricks that were weathered and worn from many years of water damage and who knows what else. They were in some sort of dungeon, but the last thing Eames' remembered was Arthur…

Then realization flooded him as if a large dam holding back a ravage river suddenly gave way; the water now coursing down the mountain into the valley below.

_They had been dreaming. _

This single thought sent fear and joy battling through Eames' body causing goose bumps to form on his skin. This meant Arthur had not betrayed them; but then, where was Arthur? And worse than that, how had none of them felt the sensation of dreaming thus alerting themselves to the dire predicament amiss.

'This has to have something to do with the message I received after the completion of the McGregger job,' Eames mind connected as he sought for any detail that would aid them in the situation. Arthur had been worried by something and clearly it hadn't been his prudent conscious causing his alarm; as Eames originally thought.

Coughing hoarsely, Eames tried to reposition his stiff cold body. Upon his disturbance of the deathly quiet atmosphere, Ariadne and Cobb also showed signs of consciousness.

"What the heck happened," Ariadne asked in an irritated tone accented with anger as she struggled against here bindings.

"Yusuf… Saito," Cobb demanded in the most controlled tone he could muster.

"Listen, it is dire that we remember. Think back, how did we get here? We have to know if we are dreaming or in…"

But Cobb desperate grasp at figuring out the truth was denied as the thick steel door – rusted and serving as a home to several small blotches of moss – was grinded open.

Three large men dressed in jeans with varying tops, stepped into the room. At least five more could be seen awaiting orders in the hallway near the door. Their faces were drained of any emotion and carried a rough appearance from there many years of illegal doings.

Saito and Yusuf had now completely come around and were attempting to read as much about the captors before them as possible. Cobb was about to speak when one of them stepped forward, drawing a shiny silver blade from a sheath hidden under his heavy leather jacket. He was looking directly at Cobb and began to walk towards him while lowering into a crouch; blade held in front the entire time.

Cobb took a quick gulp of breathe, glancing nervously over at the rest of his team. He was confident Eames understood the situation and how to react; but the rest had him worried. Then suddenly, the man plunged the knife forward slicing the rope connecting Cobb's feet to his hands, in half. The two men behind this apparent 'leader' then proceeded to roughly hall Cobb to his feet, restraining him by firmly gripping his upper arms. This process was repeated for everyone on the team; the continual silence a large weight that pressed down harder and harder every moment without a spoken word passed.

But Cobb did not know what to say and obviously their captors were not a talkative bunch. They did not demand secretes or threaten pain for the joy of seeing someone squirm. Looking to Eames, Cobb saw his teeth clenched and chin raised stubbornly; his eyes his only feature revealing the fire burning in his mind. Cobb was also hiding his rage and questions deep below the surface, pulling on the rough mask of their captors.

Then, no word uttered, they were all dragged from the room. The silence was so heavy now that unless one of the 'brutes' spoke, silence would continue on for eternity.

…

The hallway mimicked that of an old Victorian mansion occupied by a high ranked nobleman. The door ways were framed by dark mahogany wood that was elegantly carved in intricate patterns. The walls were painted a deep heavy cream accented with thin green vines that slithered on the surface like snakes. While the dark carpeting showed a complex pattern of large flowers; the pattern was bordered by a thick green stripe that stretched to meet a thin gold rod at the base of the wall.

The walls were broken by many narrow doors and tall dome shaped stained glass windows; a thin string of lead bordering each individual piece of glass. The numerous lamps curving up from each wall cast a dim but saturating light that seemed to coat the hallway in a strange sort of peace that threatened to fill any soul with joy. But that peace was broken by the prickling sound of shattering glass followed by a barbaric scream of shock and fear.

"Ahhhhh," Ariadne yelped as the large guard that had an iron grip around her arm carelessly pushed another of his team out one of the towering windows. Cobb, Eames, Yusuf, and Saito – who were at the head of the procession – instantly tried to twist in their captors' hold. But to Cobb's and Eames surprise they did not have to fight to see what had just transgressed, but were actually led to the now shattered window.

"I wanted you all to understand the situation you are actually in," said the brute still holding Ariadne who stood in slight shock.

"Look over the edge," he commanded in a harsh whisper. Cobb was the first to comply as he was given slight lee-way to pear over the side of the mansion. What he saw sent icicles surging through his veins. Three stories down on the pavement below lay a man who had a pool of blood quickly collecting around his head. But even from up were they stood, Cobb could hear the raspy breaths and constant moans of pain that emitted from the broken form. Closer inspection also showed the slight lolling of the man's head back and forth as death slowly took him from the real world.

Eames' head was then thrust through the breach in the wall before quickly being pulled back inside the mansion. Subconsciously Eames gulped as his eyes danced with ways to escape this nightmare – the true reality of this situation just sunk in. Without another word said, the group continued down the corridor; Yusuf and Saito being left to only wonder what had occurred moments earlier.

As they progressed, Cobb and Ariadne were bumped together; Ariadne jumped at the chance to ask the question rumbling through her body.

"What was that?" She said in a very hushed tone.

"He just proved reality," was all Cobb was able to explain before getting jerked forward.

The group took several more turns and one elevator up two stories before pausing outside what appeared to be an ordinary door only slightly wider than the rest. One of the two men holding Eames – who had been leading this campaign through the mansion – attempted to switch out with another free guard; Eames seized the opportunity as a chance to escape. When that door opened Eames did not want to be around to see what was inside. He was not being led to the slaughter like some fattened calf without a fight. A quick glance to Cobb confirmed that he felt the same.

As soon as the grip on his right arm slacked, his elbow shot up quickly freeing him completely from the other man's grasp. Leaving no time for a reaction, Eames struck out again; the back of his fist smacking hard into the guy's nose followed by a quick upper cut to his abdomen. A quick knife hand strike to the side of his neck sent him to the floor unconscious. Hooking to the left Eames buried his fist in his other captor's face; three quick jabs to the man's stomach had him curling over. Clasping both hands Eames brought them down hard on the man's upper back and he too hit the floor.

Yusuf, Ariadne, and Saito also instinctively started to struggle against their restrainers.

Cobb swiftly kicked the man on his right in the groin; his grasp vanished immediately. But the action landed Cobb with a splitting headache as one guard connected the butt of his gun with the soft tissue at the base of Cobb's skull. The world spun and pitched under his feet, causing him to sway and nearly loose his footing. Upon witnessing the reprimand Cobb received Yusuf, Ariadne, and Saito abandoned their attempt at freedom. At the same time Eames ran out of luck, as the same man who struck Cobb proceeded to repeat the action on him. Eames hit the floor directly following the connection of his skull and the butt of the gun; he sprawled at everyone's feet barely hanging onto consciousness.

"You all better not try any shit like that again. Because next time we won't be so nice," the man holding Araidne spoke up for a second time over the course of their journey from the 'dungeon'.

Leaving their comrades where they fell, another man from the party stepped forward and flipped up a piece of molding bordering the door they stood in front of. The hushed sound of keys being struck was the only clue any of them had to what the man was doing. Only a few moments later the sound of large metal cylinders – like those of a bank vault – could be heard sliding into a position that would permit entrance. The opening of the door revealed that there was nothing ordinary about it, in fact it was about ten inches solid steal; the metal cylinder merely circles running the length of its edge. But the door is not what captured their attention. It was the man chained to the wall opposite them in a spread eagle fashion; with both arms raised to the point that his feet were just able to rest completely on the ground.

They had found Arthur.

…

Before they could even comprehend what their eyes were relaying, they were pushed through the door way. This room was larger than the last and well illuminated. The sound of people entering caused the chained point man to raise his head from where it had previously been rested on his chest.

Arthur's breathe caught in his throat at the sight of his entire team standing before him… they had been found. An urgency then coursed through him that had words clawing up his throat, readying to burst out - alerting Cobb and Eames to the truth. But before he could even utter a word, a fire cracker was lit; going off. Then, for a brief moment, a high pitched whistle could be heard before Arthur's world exploded in a vibrant show of fireworks. It hadn't been a fire cracker after all… it had been a bullet.

The bullet made a clean pass through Arthur calf before bouncing off the concrete floor to lie uselessly in some forgotten corner. Cobb's face twisted in anger as he lunged forward in his captor's grasp while Arthur gulped against the pain. Blood quickly began oozing from the wound, saturating his pants to form an ever growing pool around his foot. The sight sent Ariadne into near panic; she could barely contain the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks.

"Now I have your attention," someone within the room said; Cobb and Eames' head snapped to the right searching for the keeper of the voice.

"I am going to make you pay for what you have done," the man continued. He inclined his head slightly and one of the guards near Cobb stepped forward drawing a gun from a Hollister under his leather jacket. The pistol was shoved in Cobb's now free hands, who looked at in complete uncertainty.

"Cobb… you are going to kill Arthur."

No one breathed. No one moved.

"Maybe you didn't hear me," the man proposed; the ball of led exploded out of the end of his pistol sending thunder bouncing off the walls of this tomb.

Arthur could not contain his cry of pain as his knee exploded into a mass of mangled flesh.

"Cobb, kill Arthur."

Cobb was paralyzed; he felt as if he had been shot in the chest. His breathing was short fast gasps.

"Please. Please let him go. You can do whatever you want to me," Cobb pleaded, the gun shaking in his hand. Eames and Saito had been knocked to the floor after attempting to take their guards out as anger over rode them for what they were witnessing.

Arthur had sweat pouring down his forehead and was desperately trying to keep his breathing normal. But above his pain, he found the strength to focus on Cobb, staring him dead in the eyes, asking:

"Are you okay?" he asked in a tone that would have fooled a blind man to his condition. Cobb barely managed a nod; which Arthur read as an utter lie.

"Kill him Cobb," the man warned once again.

"No…" Cobb barely breathed; his mind was racing with a way to fix this problem. But regrettably, nothing was coming.

"Hmmm."

The gun went off again; this time burrowing deep with Arthur's thigh. An x-ray would have shown it knocking into the femur, fracturing it to point that almost shattered it in half.

Arthur's head snapped back, colliding with the concrete wall behind him. Cobb found himself wishing that the collision would have knocked Arthur unconscious; at least then he would have been freed from the pain. But instead, it barely seemed to faze him as a low moan mixed with a desperate cry of agony emanated from his battered form.

Ariadne could not tell if it was sweat or escaped tears that currently wetted Arthur's cheeks as his head slightly swayed back and forth. Even in his immobilized useless state, Eames struggled as much as possible. When he had been knocked to the floor, the guard decided to teach him a lesson by placing a heavy foot on his trachea. But Eames' hair was on end, any mistake these barbarians made would seal their certain death.

Cobb barely hesitated this time; he had one shot and could not longer worry over the result of his actions. His gun flew right and fired at their tormentor. But he was a 'true bloody weasel' as Eames would say, for his sorry hide was hiding behind a sheet of bullet proof glass. The bullet cracked the glass into a spider web pattern but did not give way under the force of the bullet; had it not been for this hidden treachery the bullet would have dug deep into this man's brain.

"Hhhhhaaaa hhhhhhhhaaaaa hhhhhaaaaaaa," was the mocking reply that Cobb received for his effort.

"Kill him, Cobb."

But Cobb would not. Tears now filled all of the team's eyes; Ariadne feeling no shame at letting them spill down her cheeks.

"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," Arthur cried desperately; the fourth bullet taring mercilessly through his side. The world began to spin and totter. Arthur had lost all the strength in his legs dropping as far as the chains shackled to his wrists would allow. But this sudden thrust of weight dislocated his left shoulder, alerting its occurrence with a bone grinding snap.

Araidne could not longer control her emotions as they ripped through her like wild fire. She screamed with Arthur, fighting desperately at everything.

"Cobb do SOMETHING!" Ariadne pleaded. "PLEASE!"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?" Cobb screamed his hands flying in the air, a look of total desperation plastered on his face.

"This is too good. Not only are you torturing your 'point man' but you are taking your anger out on your whole team."

"How about you kill him now, Cobb?" the man continued – taunting Cobb – his cool calm voice vibrating like a poisonous gas throughout the room.

Arthur hung limply by his right arm; his legs completely slack and slightly bent beneath him. One more bullet to his body would cause all the jolt necessary for his right shoulder to give way same as the left had.

"Shoot him Cobb. Shoot him. Do it. DO IT!" the man screamed, his voice having slowly increased in intensity with the sentence.

"!" Cobb confirmed; he would not take Arthur's life. Period.

"Pity."

The fifth bullet found its way to Arthur's left forearm and, same as the first, went clean through. Arthur bit his tongue, he would not cry out again. But it wasn't just his body that was ridden with agony, watching his team – his friends – being hurt the way they were was almost worse as far as Arthur was concerned. He would continue to get shot full of holes and whatever else if they would be set free and unharmed. But that was only a dream.

That was enough.

The team and the guards suddenly dissolved into a chaotic mess of flailing bodies and confusion. In the chaos, Eames had managed to get his hands on a gun with only one priority on his mind; free Arthur.

Eames fired in Arthur's direction, the bullets peeling out of the chamber so close in unison it was as if only one shot was fired. The carefully aimed bullets hit their target and Arthur was free of his chains; now lying in a heap on the floor.

...

As Arthur lay there, the world danced around him. His body was in shock now, he was certain. The pain was bearable and though that had him wanting to rejoice, he knew it to be a bad sign. But he had something to do.

He had to tell.

He willed his body to have enough strength to tell them the truth.

He heard Ariadne crying…

Cobb was breathing hard…

Eames was panting as if his body was exhausted from exertion…

Yusuf was mumbling very fast under his breath… what? Arthur could not tell.

Arthur could hear nothing of Saito.

They were going to get hurt as he had been.

He had to tell them.

Had to protect them; that was his job. But his body would not move.

He heard Eames cry out in pain…

'NOOOO,' his mind screamed, his mouth also refusing to oblige to the will of his mind. He was going to do this. Slowly – the pain ignored – he rolled over and forced his un-dislocated arm under his torso and then slowly began to push upwards. Lifting his head he saw his team still battling their captors.

"Cobb…" Arthur called out, his last bit of strength ebbing away. Before Cobb could make it to his side, Arthur's arm collapsed and he was once again lying on the ground. Cobb kneeled on the concrete beside his point man, afraid to touch him.

"It is okay Arthur, you will be fine…" Cobb choked as his eyes looked over Arthur's entire body; the damaged looked worse up close.

"That is what you think…" came Arthur's gurgled voice – he didn't have much time left.

"It is not that bad," Cobb tried to convince himself.

'Do you want me to do it to you?' Arthur thought sarcastically as he attempted to hold on longer.

He couldn't waste any more time… he could feel himself losing his grip on life… he had to tell them.

"Cobb… it… it," Arthur attempted, his voice becoming more and more faint.

"Shhhh, Arthur. It is going to be okay," Cobb said, tears filling his eyes. He wanted to look back and see how the team was faring but he couldn't pull his eyes away from the point man.

"NO… d…d...d…ie," Arthur tried to continue.

"You are NOT going to die Arthur. NOT here. NOT like this. We are getting you out of here, you hear me?" but even as the words rolled off of his tongue, Cobb knew they weren't true.

"You got to le…" but that was it… it was Arthur's last.

**Okay. Wow. I never thought I would get done typing this chapter. So, what did you think? You know, you can always leave a review and let me know how you think the story is going… just in case you were wondering ;) **

**And yes, I will try to get the next chapter up soon. But I have to let the cliff hanger kind of sink in a bit first, right? I mean, what do you think could possibly happen next? Is Arthur dead? I don't even know? Well, that is kind of a lie; I have a pretty good idea. But anyway thanks for reading and sorry for the long author note :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, I hope you all enjoy!**

Pain…

The pain pulsed with the acidity and strength of a living creature - a creature of misery that lacks any and all pity. It ripped like fire through his veins, snatching away his breathe.

But how could he have expected any thing else?

…

"Arthur?"

"ARTHUR?" Cobb screamed gripping the now lifeless form. But there was no time for remorse or even time enough to comprehend what had just happened before his eyes; a glance over his shoulder showed that Eames had lost his battle. He was lying face down on the concrete, blood slowly dripping from the many cuts covering his face. A guard had his knee placed firmly between Eames' shoulder blades as he roughly bound his arms behind his back.

Yusuf and Saito had given up their struggle, though two men were now stationed on both their sides, it didn't make a difference because they weren't putting up any fight. Ariadne was still clawing for her freedom, her wails of fear and Eames restricted breathes echoed loudly throughout the room. But Cobb could hardly hear any of it. He was lost in a land of blurred sadness. Even now he couldn't make his body move or react as he watched three men charge towards him; they were moving no faster than snails. He could have diverted their attack with ease, making it to the door and out of the retched place before they even reached where he now sat. But he didn't make an attempt and then they were upon him; ripping Arthur from his grasp and hauling him to his feet. Ariadne's heart wrenching scream of remorse at the sight of Arthur's dead body being carelessly dropped to the floor broke through Cobb's numb shield; though it was quickly resealed by the break off of her voice.

The world pitched and swirled around him, his physical presence on this earth only like a distant memory. Cobb didn't hear the people shouting at him as he was hustled down hallways - only a muffled hum was processed by his brain. The brilliant colors and architecture which he had taken note of on his previous journey only a colorful blur and he barely registered when his team was shoved back into the dark damp dungeon.

"C-C-Cobb?" Ariadne questioned between sobs as she fought for control over her emotions.

"What the BLOODY HELL?" Eames swore as he slammed the palm of his hand in the rusted steal door.

"How did that fucking happen? Right before our eyes! Right there, WE WERE THERE!" Eames continued to explode. Ardiadne just sat and watched him. What more could be said... or done for that matter. Cobb still wasn't responsive but focus and comprehension of what went on around him had returned to his demeanor.

"This has-has to be a dream, right?" Ariadne spoke up again, a little more confidently. But when her question brought not response panic instantly grasp her and tried again; this time with desperation:

"RIGHT?"

Cobb slowly turned his head and looked at her from where he sat on the floor in the middle of the room. She was shaking slightly, and looking past her Cobb saw that Yusuf was as well - though he accompanied it with silent tears. Saito on the other hand showed nothing; not anger, not sadness. He just sat, staring. Maybe he felt ashamed of the weak effort he put forth earlier. Though, honestly it was not a weak effort. He had tried everything he could.

Eames, Arthur, and Cobb had been together a long time – over that time a deep brotherly bond had grown. This brought forth extreme reactions from them; a ferociousness accompanied their actions that a normal 'friend' could not truly understand. Thus, Yusuf and Saito had tried their best for who they were. And Ariadne, yes she had been with the team as long as Saito or Yusuf, but she seemed to instantly become one of the family; she harbored feelings right now that mimic a girl who just lost her only brother… and she wasn't going to accept that as the truth.

"I don't know…" Eames finally replied for Cobb in a faint whisper that barely reached anyone's ears.

"Cobb please," Ariadne begged.

"We… we need to remember how we got here. Everyone, think of the last place you where before we got to this place," Cobb instructed as he sat up straighter; slowly pulling on a shield of security and strength for the rest of the team. He would hopefully have time to cope later, but for now his strength was need.

Upon his instruction everyone set to work in deep thought. Seconds that turned into minutes slowly ticked by; how many, no one knew. A productive silence settled so deeply around everyone as they devoted every part of their being to remembering that when Saito spoke up it nearly startled all of them to death.

"I do not understand. I thought you could tell when you were within a dream. We are trained though lack numerable years of experience," Saito said as he gestured towards Ariadne, Yusuf, and himself, "but both of you posses the training, understanding, and experience," he continued to informed while motioning to both Cobb and Eames

"So why can't you just tell?" came the bare question.

Cobb and Eames slowly glanced at each other, for they had been wondering that since the beginning; though neither wanted to admit it.

"I don't know," Cobb answered with confidence; he would not be ashamed of what he did not understand before his team.

" This 'man' must have discovered a more powerful sedative that disorients the dreamers in such a way that clouds our senses," Cobb explained.

"But I don't feel disorientated. I feel _normal,_" Ariadne voiced.

"Precisely. The drug would cause you to feel as if you are awake and in the real world. You all know the faint hum that seems to vibrate at the back of your mind in dream? That is caused by the continual rush of the PSIV device, but recognizing that sensation requires you to be fully alert. If your senses are muffled in even the slightest way you would lose the ability to decipher between a dream and reality," finished Cobb the last sentence slow and careful, as if he was examining every word before it left his lips; and as soon as he no longer spoke, all eyes turned to Yusuf.

"What Mr. Cobb saysis true. The concept would be similar to that that I used on the Fischer job so you could feel tipping or falling," Yusuf explained.

"So then this is a dream right? It is just we can't tell?" fear and desperation had returned to her voice as she quickly searched the faces of her team mates.

"Ariadne, the best we can do is hope and think; I cannot guarantee you that we are dreaming," Cobb said, understanding the question hidden behind the ones she just put forth…

Was Arthur still alive?

**Hey everyone. I know it was short and the wait was long but stay with me. I know there was not much action in this chapter… though it is coming later. So how about you let me know what you thought and I will continue writing.**


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